Check out our 2011 sponsors and exhibitors in Lexington, KY,
in November! If you have any questions about sponsoring PATH
Intl. or exhibiting at the 2011 PATH International Conference
and Annual Meeting, please contact

Robert
Putnam's ground-breaking research in his book Bowling
Alone (Simon and Schuster, 2000) warned that the very
fabric of our connections with each other has plummeted,
resulting in impoverished lives and communities. An example of
this phenomenon exists within PATH Intl. as out of the
approximately 8,000 members, only a small percentage at any
given time are active volunteers who directly influence the
direction of the association. This finding, in collaboration
with the forward thinking vision of the PATH Intl. Board of
Trustees and staff has galvanized PATH Intl. to take a lead in
creating a platform with processes that support the
development of communities.

The vision of the PATH Intl. Community Building Initiative is
to identify and support the energy coming from the membership,
creating a platform that feeds those efforts. The objectives
of the community building initiative are to research concepts
to provide all members with benefits and resources to improve
their practice or business, to support their professional
development and to enhance the ability of PATH Intl. to
positively impact equine-assisted activities and therapies.
PATH Intl. membership communities would identify and connect
individuals with a shared interest and/or purpose. Connections
could be knowledge or information based, socially motivated or
advocacy-oriented. The communities might be designed to
advance the development of knowledge in a particular field of
interest or practice and contribute to the professional
development of its members and the association as a whole.

A work group of individuals representing the diversity of PATH
Intl. professionals has come together to share their expertise
in and passion for community building. Read
more to learn about this exciting initiative and those
individuals paving the way.

Conference Sessions Offer Variety of Expertise

You
can see in the 2011 PATH International Conference and Annual
Meeting registration book the great session line-up and you
can also decide which networking events you would like to
attend.

Are you interested in fundraising for your center? You can
attend "Fun Fundraising at Horse Show Time" to learn how to
raise funds through a horse show. Perhaps you'd like a
demonstration of Whoa-Ga!, which combines Iyengar yoga and
centered riding concepts to improve balance and core strength.
Learn about the effect of equine-facilitated psychotherapy on
post-traumatic stress disorder in youth with a history of
abuse.

Whether you are new to the EAAT industry or have many years
behind you, you will find something of interest in the
Research, Program, Administrative and EFP/EFL tracks.

Click here for the digital registration book or
here for information on the conference.

Time is running out for the early-bird registration discount!
Register online by September 6 and save $150 off the on-site
price.
Click here to register.

Select Your Conference Sessions Now

For those who took advantage of the promotional rate, session
information is now available. There has been a large response
to the conference, so we encourage you to make your selections
as soon as possible to ensure you get into the sessions you
want.

To make your meal, special event and session selections visit
the PATH Intl.
website. Log in at the upper right hand corner using your
email address and password.

Once you have logged in, select "my account" and then select
"my events." The "my events" page will list all events for
which you are registered. Next to the annual conference you
will see a link, "add sessions." Click on "add sessions" and
you will be able to check each item you want to add to your
current conference registration.

Overflow Hotel for Conference

The response to this year's conference has been tremendous!
Hotel rooms are going quickly. If conference attendees want to
stay at the conference site they can still book at the Hyatt
for rooms with kings or kings with roll always. Call (859)
253-1234 or click
here. Enter the code g-NARH into the corporate\group#
field to apply our group rate.

If this will not work, the adjacent Hilton Hotel will honor
rooms at the same discounted rate of $125/per night plus tax
while they last. Call (859) 231-9000 to make reservations.

Be sure to mention you're with PATH International.

Airline Discounts for Conference Registrants

Book your travel to the PATH International Conference and
Annual Meeting through Delta Airlines and receive discounts on
airfare. Domestic flights can be booked Nov. 4-15
(unfortunately, the discounts do not cover international
flights). Email
Bonnie Burgess, PATH Intl.'s travel agent, to book your
travel and discuss discount options.

Looking for a Roommate at Conference?

The hotel rooms for the 2011 PATH International Conference in
Lexington, KY, are filling up quickly. If you would like to
share a room,
click here to see contact information of others who are
looking for a roommate. You must be logged in to see this
information. NOTE: PATH Intl. will
not match you up with someone. If you would like to
have your name and contact information added to the list,
email
Cher Smith.

PATH Intl. Region 5 Conference in September

Region 5 would like to invite you to attend the PATH Intl.
Region 5 conference, September 16-18, at the Calvin Center in
Hampton, GA. Look for information to be available soon on the
PATH Intl. regional conference page.

Exciting Changes to PATH Intl.'s Video Re-submission
Process

PATH Intl. is proud to announce a very exciting change to its
video resubmission process. PATH Intl. now has the ability to
accept video submissions online through a file sharing system. We
are still accepting DVDs and VHS tapes, but we strongly encourage
all potential instructors who need to re-submit a video to
complete their certification process to utilize the new system.
International candidates can also use this system to submit videos
to PATH Intl.
Read more ...

The Equine
Specialist for Mental Health and Learning certification is meant
to certify an individual as the horse handler in any un-mounted
mental health or learning session. Please visit the PATH Intl.
website for an updated copy of the
certification booklet and complete details on the requirements
of the certification.

If you are a current PATH Intl. certified instructor and have been
participating or plan to participate in an EFP or EFL program,
please review our PATH Intl. certified instructor option located
on page 20 of the certification booklet. This option, previously
known as the Fast Track, allows any current PATH Intl. certified
instructor to submit his or her portfolio to the PATH Intl. office
and begin taking the online exams for the Equine Specialist in
Mental Health and Learning certification.
Read more ...

Ever just need a question
answered now about the health, management, care or well-being of
your equine partners? Are you developing an educational curriculum
for your summer camp or therapeutic programs and need some current
ideas? Maybe you have been researching breeds of horses to find
out which breed may be better suited for your program and the
climate/environment in which you live and need more information.

Online
equine-related reference links are a quick way to research just
about any topic, from lameness issues to how to saddle fit
correctly to what types of grasses are best suited for and grow
better in your local climate to how to recondition a horse after
some time off. You may even be able to find suitable online
equine-related magazines with dozens of educational articles and
tips at no, or minimal, cost - and completely paperless!

The links mentioned
here are for informational purposes and as examples and only cover
a smattering of the many reputable sites available to you online.

Please remember,
however, that if you are researching health-related questions
online, there is no substitute for consultation with your
veterinarian and/or farrier. You should never rely solely on
information found online or in other publications to treat your
horse for conditions that should be seen by a veterinarian.

Here are some sites
that offer information on all disciplines and have topic searches
available:

Bayer Animal Health has just launched its "Legend
of the Year" award for this year. This award honors
veterinarians or vet techs who have done outstanding work for
horses in need or unwanted horses. The vet receives a $5,000
donation to the equine charity, rescue or therapeutic riding
facility of their choice.

This could be a good way for one of our centers to receive a nice
donation. In addition the person who nominates the vet will be
entered to win an Equitrekking Adventure Trip to Mackinac Island
and be on camera. Nominations will be accepted through October 15,
2011.

Reminder to Change Your Bookmarks

You may have noticed that if you are using a bookmark to access
the PATH Intl. website, it opens a page with the directory
listings rather than the homepage of the website. This is due to
an outdated bookmark. Simply change your bookmark to show
www.pathintl.org instead of
www.narha.org and everything should then display correctly.

Workshops and Certifications

Unless otherwise noted, contact
Abby Hendren at (800) 369-7433, ext. 104, with
questions. All dates are subject to change. To register for
an event, please contact the host site directly. You can
locate their contact information under the
Find a Center link on the PATH Intl. home page or on the
PATH Intl. events calendar.

Please visit the
PATH Intl. calendar for a list of 2011 Registered
On-Site Workshops and Certifications.

Please
direct correspondence about this newsletter to
PATH Intl. eNews coordinator. PATH Intl. eNews
is a benefit of Professional Association of Therapeutic
Horsemanship International membership. No portion of this
publication may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic,
scanned or electronic process without written permission from
PATH Intl. PATH Intl. reserves the right to reject, accept and
edit submitted material. PATH Intl. eNews is intended
as an information exchange and an opportunity for communication
for members in the field of equine assisted activities. The
opinions, practices or products presented in PATH Intl. eNews do
not necessarily reflect PATH Intl. policy, imply PATH Intl.
endorsement or comply with PATH Intl. standards.